


Spring and Winter

by MidnightCrow



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Seasonal Kingdoms, Spring Prince Viktor, Winter Prince Yuuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-06 03:24:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8732899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightCrow/pseuds/MidnightCrow
Summary: Viktor is the beloved second prince of the spring kingdom, Yuuri is the shy prince of the winter kingdom, in order to prevent war between their two kingdoms Viktor is sent to the court of his enemy as a peace offering, a husband for their own prince. Can flowers even bloom in frozen ground?





	1. The Prince of Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly this was inspired by Viktor's flower crown... He just seemed like such a spring prince I wanted to do something with that idea.  
> I will be using Viktor because it fits the story and Yuuri so that he and Yurio can be told apart.  
> Updated 6/14/17

The gardens were bursting with life, a row of neatly-trimmed rosebushes led to a gate hung with morning glories, the bright blue blossoms standing out from the green leaves and the black metal it clung to. A pond with a fountain in it lay beyond, the spray of water landing on lily pads and frogs whose croaks harmonized with the hum of cicadas and buzz of bees. Viktor passed the pond, watching his feet so he didn’t trample a stray flower or insect as he walked through on his way to the forest.

As crown prince of the Spring Kingdom he did love the blooming of flowers and the sight of raindrops clinging to the world after a storm, but having lived in a land of perpetual sunlight and warmth for twenty-three years he was bored. As of late he’d found himself wandering to the woods that lay beyond the huge gardens to enjoy silence and think about his life where nobody could find him. Here the trees blocked out the sun and moss coated the ground in clumps, here he could drink from a rushing stream if he got thirsty or eat fresh berries if he got hungry, it was the closest thing to freedom he had.

“Your Highness!” A high-pitched voice caught his attention and he turned around to see a fairy soar towards him and hover in front of his nose, its tiny body was a light blue as was the hair tied into two braids. It wore an outfit sewn together from leaves and petals with tiny sandals crafted from woven grass, a flower crown of clovers perched on its tiny head.

He smiled at the creature, he found fairies endearing and always tried to be kind to them; he’d heard the stories of those who had stupidly destroyed fairy houses and found their beds full of slugs the next day. “Good morning Violet, how are you today?”

“I-I’m fine Your Highness, it is an honor to be remembered by someone as important as yourself.” The fairy’s tiny face flushed purple before turning to look behind them. “Huh? I was with...”

“Violet!” Another small voice called out from nearby and Viktor saw two other fairies, these ones red and green, who seemed to be carrying something between the two of them that was slowing their flight.

“Eek!” Violet started and swooped back to the other two to help carry whatever it was they wanted to show him, a flower crown made of wildflowers. The prince saw fall asters, chicory, cornflowers, Queen Anne’s lace and several others woven together so tightly he knew that it wouldn’t fall apart even after the flowers died.

The green fairy tried to hide behind one of the cornflower petals, failing to do so, as they spoke. “W-we made this for you Your Highness, to complement your eyes.”

The red one shouted unabashedly, “Please accept it! We hope you like it!” then dragged the crown, and the other two fairies towards him so they could deposit the flowers on his head.

“It’s lovely, thank you all.” He reached up a hand and touched the velvety soft petals, one coming off between his fingers as he rubbed them. The fairies blushed, Violet looked ecstatic, Sage looked like they were looking for a place to hide, and Pepper looked smug; they were so different from one another but he supposed that was why they were good friends, they balanced one another out.

The clock tower on the castle began to chime and he only just realized how late it had gotten, in the forest it was hard to tell the time and he’d been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t been keeping track. “Oh no! I have to go! Thank you so much for the gift, I’ll be back tomorrow!” He started to run, backtracking through the thick trees to the garden where his older half-brother waited for him, arms folded and a frown on his face.

The eldest prince didn't resemble his younger brother at all, where Viktor's hair was silver Yuri's was blond, green eyes stared at blue under creased brows and he scowled. People often talked about how his older brother could be attractive if he smiled more, but the youngest prince had only seen that happen enough times to count on one hand.

Yuri was slightly shorter than his brother despite being four years older than him, but his slight form was still padded with muscle barely hidden by the fine clothes his status required for him to wear. Viktor remembered watching the fencing lessons since he was young and having to contain his excitement to be just like his big brother. In the end both boys had given up the sport for different reasons, neither one wanting to bring up the topic in fear that it would anger the other.

“Viktor.” His brother took in the muddy hems on his pants and rumpled shirt, his scratched face and the leaves stuck in his hair from running too fast, finally landing on the flower crown on his head as his frown deepened.

“Hello Yuri,” He felt his face heating up under his half-brother’s gaze, knowing nothing good could come from his presence here. “What do I owe the pleasure of you coming to get me yourself?”

“Mom and dad want to see you, and since nobody could find you I guessed you’d be out in those creepy woods again. It looks like I was right to come for you, although I wish you’d been faster; they won’t be happy to see you like this but you don’t have time to clean yourself up after you’ve made them wait so long.” Yuri avoided looking at his younger brother, instead focusing his green eyes on the cluster of fruit trees next to him.

“Viktor, you can’t put this off for much longer; you’re twenty-three now and the king of the Winter Kingdom is very sick, if we want to really make allies with them the best thing to do is have you marry their princess. We both know I’m going to be the next Spring king, so marrying into the Winter Kingdom is the best option for you, stop being selfish, it’s not just about you and it never has been. Stop believing you ever can marry for love, you’re a prince, it was never an option for either of us from the beginning.”

Viktor’s throat constricted and he wished Makkachin was here but the poodle was busy getting a bath and he’d gone into the forest alone; he needed something to comfort him, to distract him from the giant guillotine hovering above his head. He struggled to keep his face straight and his breathing calm as he responded to his brother’s harsh words. 

“Thank you for worrying about me, I’ll excuse myself and see our parents now.” He strode off without a second word, hanging the flower crown on a bush and trying to keep himself from crying; the happiness he’d felt only half an hour ago was gone, replaced with the sensation of drowning.

He’d heard rumors of the Winter Kingdom since he was a small boy, stories that seemed too strange to be real, and since he’d been a small child the one time he’d visited the island Kingdom he couldn’t remember it well. People talked about how cold they people there were, like they didn’t have emotions or a soul; and it was also said they could read your thoughts and use them against you. To marry into a family of people like that was unthinkable, and he wanted what most people did; was it really so selfish to want to fall in love with someone entirely and marry purely for love?

The servants gave him quizzical looks as they observed his disheveled state but didn’t say anything as the silver-haired prince made his way to the throne room where he knew his parents would be waiting. Like the rest of the castle the room was made of gray stone, the only light coming from candlesticks set every few feet since windows would be a hazard in case of an attack from outsiders. A long green rug ran from the door to the thrones, embroidered with a pattern of flowers and animals grazing, enjoying all the luxuries spring brought their kingdom. Tapestries adorned the walls, each one depicting a different region within their territory; the fishing region of Adonia, the farming region of Sereni, they all blended together in Viktor’s mind.

His parents sat just as he knew they would, his father poised regally with his black hair and beard trimmed neatly, his mother with her long silver hair and blue eyes that always seemed to twinkle when she saw him. He definitely resembled the queen as Yuri resembled the previous queen, sadly neither of the king’s sons took after him, but he’d never found a need to complain about it.

“Ah, Viktor,” The king inspected him like everyone else had but didn’t comment on his appearance. “Thank you for taking your time in seeing us.”

The queen laughed. “What were you doing darling? Did you trip and fall?”

The prince bowed before responding to either of his parents. “I was in the forest mother, I find it quite relaxing.” He didn’t mention the fairies, not many people paid attention to the fair folk nowadays so it made no sense to bring them up.

“Understandable,” the king nodded, pretending to know what his son meant. “However, you understand that your birthday is coming up and our ties with the Winter Kingdom continue to worsen. Your brother has undoubtedly told you that our only chance to strengthen our relationship with them is for a marriage alliance to happen and we cannot put it off anymore. You are almost twenty-four and waiting will do nothing but make this situation worse.”

“Father I must protest, have you asked the Winter Kingdom if they want an alliance? What if they already have someone in mind to wed the princess?”

“Is there not another reason for your objection to be wed to the princess?” His father’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and Viktor’s palms began to sweat.

“I’m not sure what you mean father.” He stammered out, wiping his hands on his pants and hoping nobody noticed.

“Oh darling,” His mother frowned at him, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “We know you’re not interested in women, and it is okay.” Whatever the prince had expected his parents to say, this was not it. He’d tried so hard to keep his sexuality a secret but apparently not hard enough, the smile his mother gave him seemed pitying and he wished the ground would open up under his feet and swallow him.

“What are you saying?” He managed to get the words out.

“We’re saying that you’re betrothed to the prince of the Winter Kingdom, you leave tomorrow.”


	2. The Prince of Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is already the most popular story I've even written and don't go looking for my old account because just don't. I'm really happy to be a part of this fandom and because of that I think you'll forgive me for not writing because I was making a Viktor plush for my friend.
> 
> Anyway here's chapter two, it has Yuuri in it.
> 
> I also don't have a beta just fyi.

The room was freezing when Yuuri woke up, the once cozily warm fire had gone out overnight and the marble fireplace only held ash and a few flickering embers. The sun wouldn't be up for several hours still along with the castle staff, and even though he knew someone would undoubtedly come if he rang it felt rude to wake someone up just to light the fire for him. Shivering slightly he pushed back the covers and pulled on his dressing gown, his bare feet slapping the floor as he made his way across the stone floor; hissing slightly at the icy temperature that caused him to regret not bothering to put slippers on.

The winter prince fumbled for logs and kindling, his fingers shaking in the near-freezing room and making him wish for the thousandth time that he wasn't as susceptible to the cold as he actually was. The rest of his family didn't have to wear as many layers as he did just to cross the grounds, a fact his sister and friends teased him about whenever he said he wasn't able to feel his toes.

"Are you really from the Winter Kingdom?" Yuuri had been asked countless times in mocking tones of voice, mostly by Takeshi and Mari. When he was young they told him he was really from the Summer Kingdom and had only come here because his real parents hadn't wanted him; in the end he'd run sobbing to the king and queen to ask if he was adopted. The troublemakers had gotten scolded for lying and being mean, but the feeling of not-quite belonging had stuck with him since then, an itch he couldn't get rid of even years later.

The match ignited after a few tries, his numb fingers useless for the task, and he shoved it under the logs before praying the flames would spread so he wouldn't have to try again. 

There were only two matches left and he didn't really feel up to searching for a second box if he used them all up, in fact he'd probably just crawl back in bed if that happened. Fortunately the fire caught and he sighed, stretching his fingers out towards the heat and wincing as feeling crawled back into them along with pins and needles.

Yuuri thought back to the day before, was it even yesterday or just earlier that day; in a land of never ending cold with a longer night than a day it was hard to tell just what time it was when it was dark outside. He'd been called to speak with his parents, at first he was terrified he'd messed up again somehow, or that his father’s condition had gotten even worse, the truth was just unexpected.

"I'm marrying a man?" Yuuri didn't quite understand what his mother was saying. "What about heirs? What about Mari, shouldn't she be the one getting married for an alliance?" 

"Yuuri, when we started talks with the Spring Kingdom they offered their youngest prince, Prince Viktor for a marriage with our Kingdom and with things the way they are now it is necessary to renew our alliances as fast as possible. Please try to understand that with your father’s health the way it is people may try to take advantage of the situation, our Kingdom is the smallest of them all and it’s not unreasonable to imagine people might try to conquer us. The Spring Kingdom also mentioned that Prince Viktor is interested in men and for the sake of making this alliance work your father and I believed having him marry you would most likely work out better since you have the same romantic interests."

"Y-you know about that?" The prince stammered, his cheeks flushing bright red.

"Yuuri, we've known since you were four and you told us you'd marry Prince Phichit; and honestly we'd let you do it if we weren't in need of improving our connection with the Winter Kingdom. Our opinion is that we'd rather you have a chance at loving your husband than being married to someone you have no interest in." The queen giggled in a most undignified manner before straightening in her throne. "I didn't think much of your father when we were first engaged," a gasp escaped from his father." But I love him dearly now and I believe you should have a chance to fall in love with whoever you marry, we'll deal with the matter of heirs later."

The memory faded as the fire grew brighter and heat spread through his body, leaving him too tired to move from where he sat to even grab a blanket. Tomorrow, he'd deal with everything tomorrow.

\- 

The palace grounds were covered in a thick layer of snow and icicles thick as Yuri's arm hung from the pagoda roof, some had gotten so long they almost touched the ground. The trees were coated in a layer of ice and in all the years the Prince had lived there he had never seen a single real leaf on one of them, just the ice flowers the court magicians had created on the skeletal branches. With every breath he took a cloud appeared in front of him and caused his glasses to fog up thanks to the thick wool scarf wrapped around his neck, a gift his sister had made him that itched terribly.

If he was honest with himself, Yuuri was hiding from his family because he didn't know what he'd do if he actually had to talk to them again about this arranged marriage he was being forced into. He understood their reasoning for making the decision they had, but it didn't make him feel any better about the situation itself. It had been hours since he'd lost feeling in his toes but he still refused to go inside where he could take a bath and have a warm drink, preferring to be alone with his thoughts, depressing as they were.

The Prince took a stone path from the courtyard, one lined with weeping willows and fountains frozen in intricate patterns that slowly changed from one design to another. People rarely took this path and Yuuri found himself slipping as he made his way under the bridge to the lake.

Ice greeted him, an endless stretch of frozen water as flat as it could possibly be and relatively unused except for the New Year's celebration when the surface and lakeside were crowded with people. Stands selling hot drinks and food, hair accessories and toys would take over the empty ground before him and skaters would glide past one another, children wobbly on the thin blades and couples clinging to one another. The festivities ended with a performance by the magicians, a show of ice telling the story of the Winter Kingdom's legendary silver foxes, beasts who hadn't been seen for centuries.

Yuuri caught himself smiling for the first time all day, the memories of last year’s spectacular display and how he'd invited Prince Phichit from the Summer Kingdom to visit. He considered himself friends with the cheerful, animal-loving Prince just like he considered himself friends with Yuuko and Takeshi; and when they'd been little he'd stupidly said they'd get married when they grew up but it had never turned into anything more than friendship. 

There were still months to go before the year ended, before the celebration happened once more and he'd watch the magical foxes with his new husband beside him. He could do this, right? The Prince sighed and his breath crystallized into a cluster of large snowflakes the size of blueberries, the breeze blew the back into his face and made them stick to his face and glasses.

His magic tended to go haywire when he got anxious, snowflakes were tame if he was honest with himself. The court magicians’ first lesson with Yuuri had been about how magic came from within and if he really wanted to control it he'd have to learn how to keep his emotions in check. Every other person he’d asked had given him the same answer when he'd asked them about her magic lessons but so far his feelings had control of him.

Yuuri rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm his fingers before closing his eyes, he held his hands out in front of him, took a few deep breaths and tried to get into the calm state of mind his teachers had told him about. Zen-mode was his name for it, a feeling of emotionless calm where nothing anyone said or did bothered him, and once he was at peace he opened his eyes again and started to work. 

Index and middle fingers together he concentrated on bringing the water particles already present in the air towards one another and making them freeze together into a solid structure. He constructed the framework of the bench first, spiral tendrils of ice weaving together into end pieces for the smooth pieces to rest on and making sure they were all solid before lowering his creation to the ground. 

He smiled at his handiwork and took the bag he'd carried with him off his shoulder as he sat down, wincing at the cold ice beneath him, and slipped his boots off so he could put his skates on. Made of brown leather and worn to the perfect fit they were one of his favorite things in the world, a gift from his parents once they'd learned about his passion for skating.

The world, and his troubles, melted away once he set foot on the ice and pushed off, a song his sister had requested at the last ball playing in his head and his magic spilling out from his fingertips. With each jump and spin snowflakes surrounded him even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, the flakes seemed to dance as the music flowed through his thoughts and soul. Triple toe-loop, double axel, seated spin, he went through the meager choreography he’d come up with in the many nights it took hours to fall asleep. When skating Yuuri wasn't a Prince, he wasn't anything but a man who wanted some time to enjoy himself-

Arf!

He over-rotated in his jump and fell over, landing hard on the ice and smacking his knee in the process, it would bruise but he was lucky he hadn't broken anything when he'd fallen. Yuuri struggled to remember what had happened, just what had made him mess up, when the bark sounded again and he heard bounding footsteps to his left. He struggled to sit up only to be knocked on his back by a giant furry thing that started licking his face eagerly, his glasses were pushed onto his forehead as he temporarily forgot how to breathe.

"Makkachin!" He heard a man call out to the beast, his voice deep but still pleasant-sounding with an accent he couldn't recognize. "Makkachin come here! Get off him!" The creature bounded over the ice away from Yuuri, who managed to stand once more and stumbled off the lake and onto the bench so he could take off his skates.

"I'm sorry about my dog!" The man ran over to him but didn't dare get any closer than the bushes two meters away. He had a thin, pale face and silver hair that covered one of his blue eyes, so bright they looked like crystals had been set into his face. He was tall and dressed in so much clothing it was hard to tell if he was thin or not, a magenta coat embroidered with dark blue designs, blue woolen pants stuffed into black knee-high boots. His hands were clad in black leather gloves and around his neck was a purple knitted scarf that matched a hat which had fallen off and was now lying in the snow.

The Winter Prince gulped, instantly embarrassed by how shabby he must look in front of this impeccably, if not slightly overdressed, man; he was so fashionable and good looking in comparison to the old jacket Yuuri wore that needed fixing.

"Did you hear me?" The man asked as he fixed his gaze on the raven-haired Prince. "Are you ok? Did you hit your head when you fell?"

Yuuri shook his head, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I'm fine, just a bruise. What did you say?"

The stranger smiled and laid a hand on a brown, furry dog that sat next to him, panting happily. Had it really only had been a dog before? "I was apologizing for Makkachin, he loves new people and I couldn't grab him before he jumped on you. He's sorry for startling you as well, you were beautiful out there." 

Was it possible for one's whole face to turn red? If it was then Yuuri's face had to be doing just that. He struggled to his feet and started gliding slowly over to the bench, hoping he could take his skates off before he fell over again. The man followed next to him, beaming and looking around at the traces of magic that still hung in the air, the dog trotting next to his master.

"I've never seen ice magic before! I had no idea it could be used to create such amazing things!" He seemed to be unable to stop talking, which suited the ravenette fine since he wasn’t sure what he should say, preferring to sit down on the icy bench and letting loose a sigh.

"Goodness! I haven't introduced myself, how rude of me! I'm Prince Viktor Nikiforov of the Spring Kingdom, it's a pleasure to meet you."

It was all too much for Yuuri to take in, and the shock of everything finally got to him, or maybe he had hit his head when he'd fallen because his eyes rolled up and he fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone asks, Frozen was on in the same room while I was writing the last bit so if you get any vibes from that I blame the people who were watching it. Meh, I'll let it go.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you guys continue to support my slow, crappy writing. I do work what qualifies as a full-time job at hipster coffee place and it's very tiring.
> 
> I thought I should mention this now but I'm asexual and writing smut makes me really uncomfortable so I won't write any. I'm sorry if that's disappointing. If anyone likes this fic enough and wants to write some send me a pm and we can work something out. 
> 
> Fingers crossed that episode twelve is magical and we get a season two!


	3. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Viktor! It's a short chapter but I wanted to post something since I couldn't post something for Yuuri's birthday. I hope you enjoy it!

Makkachin sniffed at the boy's prone figure, he'd slumped over on the bench and Viktor had to shoo the poodle away so he wouldn't get his tongue stuck to the ice. The skater's face had gone nearly as pale as his own fair skin, his chin-length black hair standing out like ink on snow; his glasses had shifted on his face and were close to falling off his round face. His old brown coat had been patched in a few areas and a thick, slightly misshapen gray scarf was wrapped around his neck and the lower half of his face, his legs were clad in black pants that clung tightly to his thighs and calves along with well-worn boots. He could be very attractive if he changed his clothes and wasn't unconscious.

"Your Majesty!" A female voice called out in the distance and Makkachin barked in response, trying to convey that something was wrong where they were.

"Someone's fainted over here!" The Spring Prince called out, desperate for someone to help him with the skater's body or wake him up.

The sound of feet crunching on snow got louder as whoever had shouted began running over to the lakefront and a small figure appeared from under the stone bridge, her brown hair tied up in a ponytail and a look of worry on her face. She stopped when she saw Viktor and stared confusedly at him before her eyes fell on Makkachin and finally the black-haired skater, who upon seeing caused her face to constrict in horror.

"Your Majesty!" She ran over to the boy and shook him gently before rounding on Viktor. "What did you do? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The Silver-haired Prince gaped at the girl before remembering his manners and straightening up. "I am Prince Viktor Nikiforov of the Spring Kingdom, engaged to the Prince of the Winter Kingdom. I was walking around with my dog when he ran over here and startled this man, he fainted after I introduced myself."

The girl sighed and pulled one of the skater's arms over her shoulder and lifting him up, Viktor took the other arm and remembered the girl's words. 

"If you didn't know who I was, why did you call me 'Your Majesty?’”

"Forgive me Your Highness, but I wasn't talking to you; I was looking for Prince Yuuri," She sighed again. "He's been gone all morning and we were supposed to be preparing to meet you so I was asked to find him. I guess you found him first."

Viktor nearly dropped the boy, the Prince, he realized with a start. "I-I found him first?" He stammered, trying to process exactly what had just happened.

"Prince Viktor, meet Prince Yuuri Katsuki of the Winter Kingdom, your fiancé. Congratulations on making him faint."

-

The Winter prince's bedroom was large but cold, in both temperature and atmosphere. The thick walls were made of dark gray stone with windows set so deep into them that it could have made a nice reading nook if there were pillows added, instead of hard rock. The walls were bare of decoration except for one large tapestry with the Winter Kingdom coat of arms above a blazing fireplace and several bookshelves stuffed with well-worn novels, some missing covers and others with bent pages. The four-poster bed was huge, but because of its large size it made the Prince sleeping in it look very small and alone under the dark-blue covers. 

Viktor stood from the wooden chair and stretched, trying to regain feeling in his legs from sitting so long in such an uncomfortable seat. The skater, no his fiancé, still hadn't woken up yet and the girl who had retrieved him, Yuuko, had admitted that Yuuri wasn't sleeping well and actually had been stressing about the engagement as well. The Spring Prince thought back to the night he'd found out about their predicament and wondered about how this boy was taking it, had he reacted better than Viktor?

How had that night gone again?

-

The scent of lavender usually relaxed Viktor and helped him sleep better but tonight not even the purple flowers could do anything to make him feel better about his predicament. He had been sold off to the Winter Kingdom like a cow was sold to a slaughterhouse, his family had used him to better their future and there was nothing he could do about it. Makkachin licked the tears away from his cheeks, confused about what its master was feeling and doing its best to comfort the sad prince.

“At least you love me,” Viktor sniffed and buried his face into the poodle’s soft brown fur. “You’re coming with me to the Winter Kingdom, I’ll get you sweaters if you need them but I need you there with me. I won’t be able to deal with everything by myself, all alone in a strange place with even stranger people.”

Sleep seemed impossible, so after hours of staring at his ceiling the Spring prince slipped on a pair of boots, gloves, and a light jacket to fight the chill nighttime always brought. The woods had always been his escape and he had to see them one last time, he had to say goodbye to his favorite place in the Kingdom, to tell the fairies where he’d be going and to not worry about him. Maybe with that taken care of he’d be able to sleep better, one thing less to worry about, it couldn’t hurt to try at the very least.

When the sun sank below the horizon it was like the whole of the Spring Kingdom was transformed, the curling vines and bright blossoms looked different in the moonlight and several flowers closed up completely. On the other hand there were several types of plants that only bloomed at night, glowing as though they’d stored the previous day’s sunlight. Fireflies danced in the air causing Viktor to remember the nights he’d spent as a child in these gardens, he and Yuri trying to catch the bugs in jars only to find them gone the next day. It brought a smile to his face to recall all the fun times he’d have here, and he would be back to see these gardens again, no matter what his new husband said.

The woods at night were dangerous unless you knew them, the thick canopy of leaves and branches blocked out all but a few slivers of moonlight, roots and sticks could trip someone who wasn’t looking, and puddles of mud were a good way to lose a boot. Fortunately the prince knew these woods, and he knew where he could find the lantern he’d stashed for nighttime visits. There wasn’t much oil left inside but it would last for several hours, it wasn’t like he’d need it after tonight anyway, and it lit easily when he scraped the flint together. Even with the tiny flame inside the lantern the woods were illuminated enough to avoid most obstacles so he wouldn’t be too scraped up when he left tomorrow.

The clearing he’d visited only hours ago was quiet, surely the fairies were sleeping, like he should be doing, but he’d hoped he could at least see one of them one last time. Nobody else knew he visited them, nobody else would think to tell them he was gone, but maybe this visit had been in vain if they were all asleep.

“Your Highness?” A high-pitched voice sounded nearby and Viktor turned to spot Sage, the shyest of all the fairies he’d met, peeking out from behind several leaves. In the dim light of the forest she glowed, her clothes made out of luminescent petals that made her attempt at hiding not very useful, but knowing her personality it was best not to mention anything. “What are you doing here so late?”

The Spring prince grinned sheepishly, wondering if he shouldn’t have come out at all. “Couldn’t sleep, I thought the fresh air might help.”

“Is it because you’re leaving?” The green fairy’s voice was soft as she fluttered over to him and perched her tiny form on his shoulder. “News spreads fast even among the fair folk, perhaps even faster.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you all know, was it Violet who found out?” 

“Actually it was one of the kitchen sprites, they overheard the cooks gossiping about how you’re to marry the Winter prince. I hear the Winter Kingdom is beautiful, but we of the Spring Kingdom couldn’t survive there even if we wanted to, it’s just too cold.”

“What do you know of the Winter Kingdom? Are there fairies there too?” If there were it would be nice to have something that reminded him of home.

“There are fairies in every Kingdom, we are created from the magic of the land to protect nature and keep the balance. If you look in quiet places untouched by human hands you will find fairies without much trouble.”

“Will you be sad once I leave?”

“You are our beloved Prince, it is no understatement to say that you will be missed very dearly by all who have met you but we also understand your duty as Spring Prince means you are obligated to do things we do not like. If it is not too bold, Your Highness, I would like to give you one last gift from all of us.”

The tiny fairy leapt off Viktor’s shoulder and flew to a hole in the tree he’d found her in before returning with a pendant half her size which she promptly deposited in his hand. It was the shape of a raindrop and the size of his thumb, but inside the clear outer layer were five flowers in full bloom, never to wilt or lose their beauty. 

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” He felt his throat closing up but he couldn’t cry again, not now. “How did you make it?”

“We trapped the flowers in tree resin, that way you can keep a piece of spring with you no matter where you go. Don’t forget us, okay?” Sage planted a kiss on his cheek before fluttering back to the tree, her mission complete.

-

Morning came too soon and despite everything that had happened, the silver-haired prince had gotten a small amount of sleep after he’d gotten back, until he’d been awakened by a servant to bathe and get dressed. Looking in the mirror Viktor saw that his eyes were red and swollen from crying too much but the bath helped slightly and he hoped nobody would talk about his appearance. He was dressed in a clean white shirt with a magenta vest and given a coat made of the heaviest silk he’d ever felt, heavy boots and thick pants accompanied it along with a hat and gloves. He’d hung Sage’s pendant on a silver chain underneath everything, and even though he hadn’t put on the heavier clothes he was already sweating, just how cold would the Winter Kingdom be?

“Are you packed?” Viktor turned to see Yuri standing in his doorway, looking unusually grumpy for someone whose normal expression was a glower.  
He nodded, having done so yesterday because he didn’t expect he’d be able to today, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck and under his collar.

“I’ll miss you, you know that right? Mom and Dad will too. They’re not sending you away because they want to and if there was any other way to make things better between our two kingdoms they’d do it in a heartbeat. They love you little brother, and I love you, so... Just keep in touch, okay?” He stormed off without another word, leaving the prince behind to process what had just happened. He was unable to say goodbye to his parents before leaving so once he’d climbed into the carriage he watched his home get smaller and smaller again without a clue as to when he’d see it again.

Makkachin didn’t like being cooped up in such a small place for so long so Viktor stopped every few hours to let them run around while it was still light out, but fortunately the poodle fell asleep once it got dark. The furry body was curled up next to him, warming his body and helping him relax ever so slightly despite the mishmash of emotions churning in his gut, it was nice to know someone was there for him.

It took three weeks to arrive at the castle of the Winter Kingdom after a carriage, a boat, and another carriage; three whole weeks in which he saw the vibrant flowers and plants turn to skeletal trees and snow as far as the eye could see. The prince thought back to when he’d visited the Winter Kingdom once, only once, when he was a boy no older than seven accompanying his family on a trip to show good faith. He hadn’t thought about that trip until now and he honestly couldn’t remember much of what had happened except for how cold it had been and sliding on a lake that had been frozen over.

It was his one vague memory of that place and some days it felt like he’d dreamed it, the princess of the Winter Kingdom had insisted Viktor go see some parts of the kingdom besides he castle because he "looked absolutely miserable being cooped up inside." The two of them had then been bundled in wool and fur until neither of them could move very well before tottering off into the cold. The princess had been nice enough to him, maybe the rest of the royal family would be kind as well, maybe the rumors about how heartless the people of the Winter Kingdom were just rumors; whatever the truth was he wouldn’t know until he got there.

Before he’d fallen asleep that day he recalled something else about that trip, there had been a boy about his age had been in the castle too; although he’d fallen sick after skating with them and had spent the rest of Viktor’s visit in his room to recover. Before that the boy had been shy and liked to hide whenever Viktor caught his eye, running into the walls on several occasions in his desperation to escape. "My brother, Prince Yuuri," the Princess had smiled after one of these encounters. "He thinks you're handsome."

The silver-haired Prince smiled at the sleeping figure. "You've gotten quite handsome too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to call Viktor "Your Highness" and Yuuri "Your Majesty" so they wouldn't get mixed up. Sorry this was a bit of a filler chapter, Yuuri will wake up next time and I promise fluff or you can stop reading.
> 
> Most of Viktor's memory was actually supposed to be chapter two but I thought it would be more fun to switch to Yuuri's point of view and back. I liked seeing him without all the walls and the act so I left it in. Viktor has so many masks he wears in the show too, he's expected to act a certain way and he's going to be allowed to find himself in this fic.
> 
> Happy Vicmas everyone.


	4. A History of Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another shortish chapter, but when I got to the end it felt like a good stopping point and I didn't feel the need to add more. Plus I wanted to get another chapter up because I'm going somewhere this weekend and probably won't have time to write, more details after the chapter.
> 
> Unbeta'd as always.

For the first time in years Yuuri woke feeling warm and well-rested, although he wasn’t sure why that was, the fire was blazing in the fireplace and curled up by his feet was... a dog? He yelped and scrambled backwards so fast he practically threw himself into the headboard, moaning in pain. His glasses, he needed his glasses to make sense of what was going on.

“Mmmh?” A sleepy-sounding murmur came from a chair placed next to his bed and the ravenette turned to stare at the silver-haired man who’d watched him skate earlier. Prince Viktor of the Spring Kingdom, his soon-to-be-husband, had fallen asleep waiting for him to wake up and was in his room. This was insane, everything that had happened in the past week was completely and utterly insane. 

The poodle barked and leapt at its master, standing on its hind legs and licking the man’s face happily as they struggled to wake up. Viktor blinked a few times at their pet before hugging them tightly, muttering praises of what a good boy they were, so cute and good, so good. Yuuri stared on in confusion, not knowing what to do and not wanting to break up their cute moment. The dog turned to look at him as though sensing his distress, and wanting to comfort him it jumped back on the bed and licked his face too.

“Makkachin, I’m not sure my fiancé appreciated being woken up by you like I do, although it is quite adorable to watch.” The Spring Prince’s smile was like a beam of warm sunlight and slightly too much to handle.

“It’s fine...” Yuuri muttered, pulling his covers closer as if he were an exposed maiden. “I like dogs.”

The poodle went back to Viktor, sitting next to him and rubbing his face on his owner’s knee, asking to be scratched behind the ears. “This is Makkachin, my lovely friend and pet; I believe he likes you too.”

“Please forgive me Your Highness, but how did I get here?” Yuuri blushed, embarrassed at the position the two of them were in. “The last thing I remember was the lake, your dog jumped on me and I think I fainted.”

“You gave me quite a scare Little Prince, especially since I had no idea who you were! Your friend Yuuko and I carried you back here so you could get some rest, she mentioned you hadn’t slept well so we both figured you should be allowed to stay in bed until you woke up.” The silver-haired man smiled widely and stroked Makkachin’s head. “It’s been about five hours now, how are you feeling?”

“Five hours? I’m so sorry!” The Winter Prince babbled. “You shouldn’t have stayed cooped up in this room instead of taking a tour or eating something!”

“But why would I leave my fiancé all alone? You looked so lonely while you were sleeping, it was painful to watch if I’m allowed to be honest; I just couldn’t wander off while you were unconscious.”

Yuuri blushed harder, if it was even possible. “I’m fine, really, you don’t have to worry about me Your Highness.”

“No can do!” Viktor sat down on his fiancé’s bed and grabbed one of the prince’s hands in both of his own. “Yuuri, we’re going to be married whether we’re ready or not, and let me be the first to admit that I am not ready. I am forgetful, I have trouble reading others, and I can be a bit selfish; as your future husband you will have to deal with my flaws and I will have to deal with yours.” 

“Please let me try and understand you so this marriage will work out, I refuse to half-ass this thing because that’s just not how I do things. I can’t do this without you though, so please work with me, lean on me since I will lean on you and although this won’t be easy I know that if both of us work together we can do it.”

Yuuri nodded, running a finger over the palm of Viktor’s large hand. “We can do this,” he agreed.

\- 

The wedding was set for the last day of the year, an addition to the festival they always had since they were already planning for it; besides, what better way to welcome their new Prince than to show him all that the Winter Kingdom had to offer? There was a little over two months before that came and people were already preparing for it; Yuuri had never seen his people busier or more excited, but even more excited than the citizens was Viktor.

“It’s so pretty here!” He exclaimed when he and Yuuri had taken a stroll around the capital, Katrei. He’d insisted on buying something from almost every store or stall, refusing the shopkeeper’s money and insisting on paying for the trinkets or snacks out of his own pocket. “I don’t understand what people were saying when they told me it would be awful here.”

This was the first that the Winter Prince had heard his fiancé speak about the rumors about his Kingdom and he was curious to know what they were. “Well, for starters it’s said that your people can read minds or control people, that you’re very cold, and that you don’t have souls... But now that I’ve been here a few days I can see those things aren’t true.”  
Yuuri choked on the bun he’d been eating, surprised at how easily Viktor had talked about the horrible things people believed of him and his people. “Of course they’re not true, we may be a small kingdom on the edge of the map but that doesn’t mean we aren’t human.”

“I know that now, but I wonder how some of the rumors start; do stories about the Spring Kingdom ever reach your ears?” The Spring Prince took a seat on a stone wall at the edge of the marketplace and began going through his purchases, most of them gifts for his family or so he’d said.

“You’re frivolous playboys with no real interest in anything that doesn’t please them. Your people don’t have much magic despite being in a Kingdom full of it and your interest in allying with such a small Kingdom is in hopes that we’ll teach you the secret of having citizens with magical powers.” The ravenette muttered, paying more attention to his bun leaking bean paste than the man sitting next to him.

“Ah, I see. I guess every place has gossip.”

“I know that it’s mostly incorrect though, since you seem surprised at the last part. If this alliance was purely built on obtaining magic you would have mentioned something about it, you’re bad at not saying what’s on your mind.” Yuuri took another bite and rested his hand on Viktor’s. “Plus I know you have magic yourself you don’t tell anyone about, why is that?”

The silver-haired prince stiffened, his face hardened, and his eyes became nothing more than blue slits. “Who told you?”

Yuuri stared at his fiancé, not sure what had just happened. “I could tell, it is part of my own magic so I’m pretty sure nobody else knows.” He held up his hand and a snowflake materialized on his outstretched finger. “Besides controlling snow and ice I’m attuned to the magic in others, although I don’t like to talk about it much, when people hear about it they tend to get scared.”

The Winter Prince seemed to curl in upon himself, distressed.

“The rumors about Winter Kingdom’s citizens reading minds and controlling people came from something that happened over a century ago, where people who also had this power banded together. They attacked the Summer Kingdom, proudly telling others that this was the Winter Kingdom’s vengeance for being placed on an island far away from everyone else and not being treated as equals. They nearly slaughtered the King and Queen, they might have succeeded if one of the people in their group betrayed them and everyone was killed.”

“Yuuri...” Viktor reached out to the younger man, but he shifted out of his fiancé’s reach.

“This is why when people hear that I can sense magic in others, although it’s not the same as what those people had they still remember what happened and look at me with fear in their eyes. As a child it became easier to just avoid people so I didn’t have to face their stares of pity and hear them whisper behind their hands.” He took a shaky breath before turning to the Spring Prince. “So yes, I know about being treated differently for having magic you didn’t ask for.”

“The Spring Kingdom isn’t fond of magic, since most of its people don’t have any powers. They believe in hard work and most of them see using magic as a shortcut is foolish, and they believe that should someone in the royal family be born with magic at all that misfortune will fall upon the land. So that’s probably why I was chosen to marry you, because it would get rid of me.”

Yuuri reached for his fiancé’s hand and held it once more, smiling at him. “I guess we’re both outcasts then, what should we do now?”

“Let’s be outcasts together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definitely more serious than I expected it to be but I don't hate it, after all trust comes from knowing each others weaknesses and fears. Trust is key and I felt that this was a good way to start it. 
> 
> Anyway, about that thing I mentioned above about going away this weekend? I'm going to Magfest and I'll be cosplaying precious baby Yuuri and carrying around a plush Viktor I made at least one day. If anyone is gonna be there and spots me feel free to say hi and yell at me for not updating because I'm at a convention.
> 
> Cheers all! I hope you enjoyed this and will continue to support it.


	5. The First Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the lateness my life is a truck on fire and I'm super busy and tired 24/7. I don't deserve the kudos and bookmarks I've gotten because I'm a failure as a writer.
> 
> 6/14 update: If you're not a new reader the end to this chapter has changed. If you are a new reader, enjoy?

“Focus on your breathing, empty your mind of thoughts, let your magic find you and show you where it lies inside you. Magic isn’t like anything else in your body, it has a life and a will of its own and can be influenced by your emotions more easily than anything else; the first step to using magic is to understand just what the nature of your own soul is.” 

Yuuri’s, no, Prince Yuuri’s voice was calm and soothing, like cool water flowing over a burn; the words he was saying on the other hand, they were the burn itself. Having had no magic training of any kind Viktor had to start at the basics, and if this was the simplest lesson there was he was doomed. How did he clear his mind when the most minor things kept distracting him? His nose itched. Yuuri looked really cute today. Did he feed Makkachin? It was impossible to focus on nothing at all and he found himself getting frustrated with the lack of results. Just as he was about to give up a warm hand covered one of his own, a tingle of energy surging from it like an electric shock.

“Wha-” the Spring Prince gasped, unsure of what was going on.

“I’m searching for your own magic with mine, please forgive the intrusion, I’m just trying to help you. Since I have the ability to sense magic in others I thought this might work.” 

Prince Yuuri’s hand was smaller than his, his fingers shorter and a bit thicker, but all that mattered was the warmth that told Viktor that he wasn’t alone anymore.

It was as though a spark had entered his body, something tiny yet pulsing with energy, yet it didn’t hurt; it felt warm albeit foreign as it floated inside him. Then a jolt shook him, like water thrown in his face as heat coiled inside him and flowed from his toes to the top of his head, the sensation came from somewhere between his lungs and his stomach. It didn’t hurt though, instead it felt like he’d stepped into a warm bath and could finally relax; and through the blissful haze filling him he felt the pure, raw energy inside him just waiting to be noticed.

Yuuri jerked his hand away and Viktor’s eyes opened at the sudden movement only to gasp at the small stalk that had pushed its way up from underneath the light dusting of snow that had fallen the previous day. As he stared it grew an inch, then another, and right before his eyes a small tree became bigger and bigger, leaves sprouting all over and before he knew it the tree was almost as tall as he was.

“Viktor! Control yourself! Don’t let it grow any bigger!” The Winter Prince looked visibly shaken, his skin pale and contrasting drastically with his dark hair as he gazed up at the tree’s branches that were now covered in tiny white flowers. Yuuri’s hands grasped Viktor’s shoulders and shook them, snapping the Spring Prince out of his daze and his awe turned to horror.

“H-how do I make it stop? I didn’t even intend for it to grow in the first place!” He felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment as his own helplessness overwhelmed him but a familiar small, warm hand found its way into his.

“Calm down, slow your breathing, and find your magic again. You found it before so once you grasp it once more tell it to stop, you are the one who controls it, not the other way around. I believe in you.” Yuuri’s voice brought him back to earth and allowed him to dive inside himself, looking for that pulsing magic he’d glimpsed only a few seconds ago; when he found it that energy was very different. It was boiling, bursting with power and didn’t seem containable by someone so inexperienced, but people were counting on him, 

Yuuri was counting on him to do this so he had to.

The Spring Prince imagined shoving the magic in a container and putting a lid on it, but his own power resisted, tendrils of energy poking out and pushing back against his willpower. He tried reasoning with it, using soothing imagery to calm the writhing inside him and finally, finally after promising he wouldn’t ignore this monster that was a part of him it quieted and became still once more.

Viktor opened his eyes to an apple tree in full bloom, several white petals falling to the ground as the magic that had made the tree grow vanished, the tree was several feet taller than he was and took up a good chunk of the main courtyard where the two princes had been sitting. Yuuri, no Prince Yuuri, grinned at him, dimples forming on his slightly round cheeks as he evaluated his fiancé/student.

“Well you definitely have a lot of potential, I’ve never seen someone with plant magic cause a tree to grow their first time connecting with their power, plus you were able to stop the growth by yourself, that’s better than what happened to me.” The Winter Prince blushed, fiddling with the scarf he wore and trying to cover his flushed cheeks with it.

“Oh? What happened the first time you used magic? How bad was it?” Viktor grinned widely, loving the pink tinge that had even crept to Prince Yuuri’s ears.

“Well, I was about five when I realized I had ice magic, I kind of made a blizzard in my room and couldn’t get it to stop so Mari knocked me out to make the snow stop. That room is still water-damaged even now, three feet of snow does that, I didn’t learn how to make the ice go away until I was ten.” 

The conversation was interrupted by thundering footsteps approaching and Yuuko’s voice calling out. “Prince Yuuri, Prince Viktor!” The woman skidded to a stop when she entered the courtyard and saw the tree that hadn’t been there minutes ago. “Do I even want to know what happened here?”

Yu- Prince Yuuri flushed a bit more before answering. “We were having a magic lesson and it got a bit out of control.”

The brunette pursed her lips and looked the tree up and down before sighing. “Your Majesty, while I understand your interest in helping your fiancé it might be a better idea to let the palace magicians teach him instead. It may result in less.... trees where there aren’t supposed to be.”

Viktor was shocked, in his opinion Prince Yuuri had done a good job teaching him, it was his fault the tree was there and no one else’s, heck, if it wasn’t for his fiancé the tree might still be growing. Or there just wouldn’t be a tree because he wouldn’t have found his magic. “I want Y- I mean Prince Yuuri to teach me, if he doesn’t mind. It will be a good way to get closer to each other, right?”

The Winter prince blushed even harder, his face bright red and nodded. “I don’t mind, and you can call me just Yuuri, we are engaged after all.” He blinked a few time before directing his attention to Yuuko once more. “You needed us for something?”

“Ah yes, I was asked to bring both of you back at Queen Hiroko’s request so we could discuss plans for Prince Viktor’s welcome feast and the engagement party.” Yuuko reached out and brushed white petals out of Yuuri’s hair and the silver-haired prince wondered just how close this servant was to his fiancé.

“Engagement party? Shouldn’t that wait until we are closer to the wedding so guests from other Kingdoms can come?”

“It was Her Majesty’s request that we have one in the near future before... before your father’s condition worsens.” The brunette bit her lip and avoided her prince’s gaze before turning around and strolling out of the courtyard.

Yuuri sighed, any trace of the carefree happiness he’d displayed mere minutes ago gone, the memory of his father’s illness washing those feelings away like the tide wipes away a footprint. The Spring prince wished there was something he could do, some way he could help, but he was powerless in this foreign land to do anything but be a shoulder to lean on.

Viktor glanced at his fiancé from the corner of one eye. The Winter prince’s hands shook slightly and it didn’t take a genius to know that it had nothing to do with the bitter air. On an instinct he covered one of those trembling fists with his own broad hand, not saying anything or doing anything else unless he was instructed to. After a minute a small sob broke the heavy silence and Yuuri’s shoulders started to shake slightly, as though he were trying to keep his sadness bottled up inside instead of letting it out.

“Let’s go to your room, okay? Do you feel up to walking?” Yuuri shook his head, but squeezed Viktor’s hand as though begging him not to leave. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to, alright?”

A yawn sounded from a few feet away and Makkachin padded into sight, he’d been sleeping on a blanket nearby but all the commotion must have woken him up. He approached the Winter prince and rubbed his fluffy head against the ravenette’s leg in a plea for ear scratches, his new red sweater keeping him warm in the cold air.

“Makka, sit boy, don’t bother Yuuri.”

“It’s ok, he just wants to be included; you have a nice nap bud?” Yuuri tried to smile at the poodle, his lips still trembling sadly and his eyes tinged red. Makkachin placed his front paws on Yuuri’s knee and gave the prince a lick on the cheek, causing him to let loose a surprised squawk.

“I think he wants to help you feel better, he seems to know when people need comfort.” Viktor smiled and rubbed the dog’s fluffy head. “He’s here for you Yuuri, so am I; we both care about you, okay? You can talk to us when you can’t keep things inside anymore.”

The Winter prince nodded, biting his lip again as though unsure about how to start. “I don’t want to lose him, I’m scared Viktor.”

“I know Yuuri, I know. I’m not going to lie and say everything is going to be okay, but no matter what happens I will be by your side to help you through it.”

“That’s all I need right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have Viktor's upraising in conflict with his new semi-freedom at the Winter Kingdom where they are more relaxed with politeness and formality since they're so far away from the other Kingdoms and tend to be ignored. He thinks of Yuuri's name first and keeps correcting himself however often I wrote Yuuri first. Growing up in the Spring Kingdom everyone was very formal and polite and referred to each other by title so even though he's technically allowed to call Yuuri by just his first name since they're engaged a part of him keeps telling him not to.
> 
> Also please forgive me for not putting the wedding in yet, I wanted to have visitors arrive and interact with everyone first since it is a big deal and there's a festival too. I'm also struggling with coming up with a completely new type of wedding thing since it's a fantasy world or sticking to old Japanese customs since the Winter Kingdom is based off Japan. Your thoughts?


	6. A Sibling Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I deleted the author's note in favor of an actual chapter here's a clipped version.
> 
> These past few months have been hard for me, sorry for the lame excuse but my depression has been super bad and I only started taking new meds recently to help with that. I finally feel like writing again after so long.
> 
> Anyway I've been reading over this fic and I will make some changes in terms of the timeline; thinking it through has made me realize it's kinda stupid to have Yurio and Chris come so soon, it would mean they'd left days after Viktor and it doesn't make much sense. Also I'd like to have some more fluffy Victuuri moments before Yurio makes drama, so that will be pushed back. Also the timeline in past chapters will be reworked to fit my new ideas.
> 
> My timeline now, for you guys to understand in the future, is this (in earth months.)
> 
> Viktor leaves the Spring Kingdom around the end of September and the trip takes three weeks because traveling takes a long time, whatcha gonna do? He arrives mid-October and gets to celebrate some Winter Kingdom holidays in addition he becomes comfortable with his new home and Yuuri and he become close. The wedding is still for the New Year's so Yurio, Chris, Phichit, and others will show up a few weeks before then.
> 
> Yeah, it's a short chapter but I wrote this all in one go and I'm tired but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any more than you already have.

“Mari! Sister wait for me!” Yuuri’s legs weren’t long enough to keep up with his sister’s fast pace unlike their guest. He’d arrived with his parents only a few days earlier but the Winter prince hadn’t really spent any time with him yet, politics and other formalities preventing the two boys from doing so. They wouldn’t have seen each other today either if it hadn’t been for Mari’s headstrong nature bullying them into leaving the castle to get some fresh air.

Prince Viktor Nikiforov of the Spring Kingdom was seven, nearly a year older than he was, but he carried himself with the poise and dignity of someone much older; he was also absurdly beautiful even by Spring Kingdom standards. His blue eyes looked like cut sapphires and his silver hair was long and fell over one shoulder in a neat braid on top of the wool scarf that had been hastily wrapped around his neck to ward off the cold. All three of them had been bundled tightly in warm wool coats lined with fur and thick sweaters in addition to whatever else the maids thought children would need when ice skating. 

Yuuri trotted off after his sister and the prince down the cobblestone path that led to the lake, his breath clouding his glasses as he struggled to keep up. One of his booted feet hit a patch of ice and he fell over, scraping his knees on the stones and landing on the ground hard as the air left his lungs.

“Are you okay?” A soft voice asked from above his head and the Winter prince looked up to find Prince Viktor standing in front of him with one gloved hand outstretched. “Can you stand?”

The ravenette accepted the hand and got to his feet slowly, making sure to avoid any more ice and picking up his dropped skates. “T-thank you.”

The Spring Prince smiled broadly, the act lighting up his whole face and making him look closer to his real age. “My brother says I always fall on my face when I run, and sadly more often than not he’s right.” Yuuri remembered seeing the elder prince as well, the one who shared his name and never seemed to smile. How could these two princes possibly be brothers?

“You don’t look like him.” He muttered, straightening his glasses so they didn’t fall off his sweaty nose.

“Big brother and I have two different mamas, neither of us look like our dad though and I think papa is a bit mad about that. You don’t look like your sister much either.” Prince Viktor started off on the path again, making sure to stay at Yuuri’s side this time.

“M-Mari looks more like mother than I do, I look more like father.” The Winter prince flushed and decided to look at his feet rather than at the other prince.

“You two are so slow!” Mari called out, waving at the two of them by the gate that led to the lakeshore. “It will be night by the time you get here!”

Prince Viktor grasped Yuuri’s hand before he took off down the path then, his blue eyes alight with excitement. “We’re coming!”

-

When Yuuri woke this time he was alone but the fire in his fireplace was still blazing brightly, as though someone now knew to check them in the middle of the night. It was still dark outside, the sun barely starting to poke over the horizon, meaning it was probably almost seven in the morning and he could technically sleep more if he wanted to. He resisted the urge to throw his blankets over his head and pretend he hadn’t woken up at all in favor of putting on some slippers and walking to one of his bookshelves in search of a particular novel. 

He and Viktor had seen a play based on it the previous day but his fiancé hadn’t been aware there was even a book at all, which was completely unacceptable and needed to be fixed right away. Pulling the thick tome from the shelf he glanced at the worn pages and smiled, it was one of his favorites and it would be nice to have someone to discuss it with since Mari didn’t share his love of reading. He brought the book with him to a chair in front of the fireplace and thumbed through it, what better way to pass the time than by losing himself in a good book?

Knocking on the door brought Yuuri out of the fantasy world of floating castles and wizards and back to the less interesting reality he lived in, too bad there wasn’t a spell he could use to stop time so he could finish this chapter. “Yuuri, I’m coming in so don’t be naked.”

The door opened and his sister walked in, a bored expression on her face as she looked him up and down before lifting her eyebrows at him as if to ask him. “Really? Again?”

“It’s almost nine Yuuri, mom was wondering where you were since breakfast has almost started, you’re usually up by now so we were confused. Yuuko offered to get you but, well, it’s been a while since we really talked and this seemed like as good a chance as any.”

“It’s almost nine? It was seven when I started, give me a second to get dressed alright?” The Winter prince jumped to his feet and pulled some clothes from his closet at random causing Mari to frown.

“Those don’t match, let me pick something out for you, I’ve missed playing dress up.”

“Mari, I’m not a doll-”

“No, but you are as cute as one, or so your fiancé thinks,” The princess rifled through the shirts and pants before pulling some hangers off the rack and practically throwing them at her brother. “Put these on.”

Yuuri obliged, darting behind the large screen to do so. “Wait, Viktor said that?”

“Yeah, he called you adorable or something like that. Clearly he’s delusional or he just hasn’t gotten to know you like the rest of us.” She tossed a pair of socks and a waistcoat behind the screen before going to look at shoes.

The Winter prince stuck his head out from behind the screen, his hair mussed from pulling his nightshirt off too fast. “Oh, like you’re going to win any prizes for being lovable, I still haven’t forgiven you for that mouse in my bed.”

“You were ten dear brother, and as your sister it is my job to mess with you whenever I see fit.”

“Yeah, and it’s my job as prince to marry foreign princes so you don’t have to. Where can I change this?” 

“Like you don’t think Viktor’s attractive, you had a crush on him for months when you were six and you’d only known him for a week. Just be happy it wasn’t the Autumn prince, I hear that Leroy kid is a pompous jerk.”

“Wait, I what? I don’t remember having a crush on Viktor.” Yuuri stepped out from behind the screen as he finished buttoning his waistcoat. Although he hated to admit it, his sister had an eye for style and the light gray shirt went really well with the dark blue pants and accentuated his narrow waist. He stepped into the black boots she handed him and adjusted his cuffs while avoiding her gaze.

“Yeah, for a solid two weeks you couldn’t decide between whether you should marry him or Phichit, we all thought it was hilarious. It’s also probably why mom thought you’d be the better choice for the alliance, you were so cute together. Man what happened?”

The Winter prince flushed and covered his face in his hands, he should remember something like this but he just didn’t. Did Viktor remember the week they’d spent together better? He had been older at the time but his fiancé hadn’t brought it up either, maybe they could pretend that they’d never met before and just let things happen naturally?

“So, here’s my question to you as your sister, do you like Prince Viktor? I know he thinks you’re cute for some reason, but what do you think of him?”

“I... Well...” Yuuri stammered, wringing his hands together as he tried to come up with a reasonable answer. “I like him, I mean he’s really nice and he’s attractive... I just... I feel like this engagement is all so sudden and with dad’s health the way it is I don’t really know what to do right now.”

“Look, I’m not going to tell you that love is easy or anything stupid like that because I have no experience in that field being ace and all. I will take you that you have the right to be happy and nobody can take that away from you, not even mom and dad. Trust your gut with this and see what happens in the future, you can take things slow even after the wedding since it’s a political thing. Do what you feel is right, okay?”

Yuuri nodded as her sister walked to the still-open door and poked her head out of it. “Are you going to come in or will you just continue to eavesdrop from the hall? I want breakfast.”

There was a startled squeak and Viktor stepped into view, his cheeks flushed as he waved a small hello.

“Wait, you were listening the whole time?”

Mari smirked. “He wanted to know what you thought of him and so did I, now we know so can we please have something to eat?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neither Viktor nor Yuuri really remember much about when Viktor visited the Winter Kingdom because they were pretty small. I barely remember my childhood but that could be because I hit my head a lot or purposely made myself forget, hard to say.
> 
> I realized Mari hadn't been in this much so I decided to bring her in, I also made her asexual because she kinda gave off that vibe but also aces represent.
> 
> Viktor is silly.
> 
> Hope this was satisfactory after months of waiting. Feedback is appreciated.


	7. Presents and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! A new chapter in less than six months. I should... write more I guess. Hope you like it.

The brown eyes Viktor had become familiar with over the past week were now cold as they glared at him, this was a side of Yuuri he wasn’t familiar with and wasn’t sure he’d wanted to see until later in their relationship. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have eavesdropped, he hadn’t intended to at first but he’d panicked when the opportunity to speak to his fiancé finally came up and ended up hiding in the hallway. Why did Mari have to give him up like that?

“You were spying on me?” Yuuri’s voice was a bit higher pitched than usual, his ears red where they poked out from behind his hair. The outfit his sister had picked out looked really nice on him, emphasizing all his best features to the point he was almost too beautiful to look at, or he would be if he wasn’t furious.

“N-no, I wasn’t spying I swear!” Viktor’s own voice sounded shaky to his ears, not particularly convincing in any way he had wanted it to be. “She and I had both come to get you, and I didn’t want to intrude if you were dressing... I had no idea she’d ask you about me.”

The Winter prince took a shaky breath and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. “I should be used to her messing with me by now but she still manages to surprise me; her obsession hasn’t gotten any better after all.”

“Obsession?” What kind of obsession could a princess have?”

“She’s obsessed with playing pranks and tricking me, she loves seeing me flustered. I’d prepare yourself from now on, you’ll be a target for sure.” Yuuri straightened up and glanced at Viktor, his brows furrowed enough to show he was still a little upset but not nearly as much as he had been.

“I see, I’ll do my best to stay on my guard.”

A nod, and Yuuri started to leave the room, gesturing for the Spring prince to accompany him. “That’s all you can do I’m afraid, but if you get through breakfast unscathed I have a surprise for you.

“For me?” Viktor couldn’t begin to imagine what his fiancé had in store for him.

-

Tall as the throne room back home in the Spring Kingdom and about half as wide the greenhouse stood in what seemed to be a forgotten part of the castle grounds. It had taken ten minutes of walking on a path of crushed snow past sheds that had fallen into disrepair and piles of snow that came almost to Viktor’s waist. It must have been very old judging by the cloudy glass that made up most of it, only a few panes shone bright enough to indicate they’d been replaced recently. The inside was warm though, warm enough to bring the feeling back into his fingers and toes along with the ever-pleasant pins and needles sensation. Rows of planter boxes stretched from one side of the greenhouse to the other and the walls were lined with tables full of pots. 

Viktor had forgotten how much he missed flowers, the scent of gardenias, the velvety-soft petals in every color imaginable, everything. Pink, red, and yellow roses filled several boxes while a lilac tree bloomed in the back of the house, and was that a pond? He sprinted to the tree and smiled at his own wobbly-lipped reflection in the water before a koi surfaced and ripples spread everywhere. The Spring prince sprang to his feet and saw even more that he hadn’t noticed at first, lilies, azaleas, delphiniums, and pansies; another row featured wildflowers like the ones the fairies back home had loved to give him: violets, aster, cornflowers and more.

“How?” Viktor’s voice came out a croak as he staggered sideways but Yuuri caught him and directed him to a small table and chairs made of dark wood in one of the other corners.

“How what?” The Winter Prince took a seat as well and began pouring tea from a tray that had been set out for the two of them.

“How did you do this? Why did you do this?”

Yuuri picked up his cup of tea and blew on it before raising it to his lips and taking a sip. “Well, this greenhouse in particular hadn’t been used for years unlike the others which are used for fruits and vegetables since they don’t really grow well in this climate. I asked my parents if I could use it for this project and they said yes, the rest was getting it cleaned, fixing it up, and having flowers shipped in from nearby towns that already had them. That was the hard part, because of the eternal cold we have here I needed some mages help to keep them alive until they were planted here,” He set the cup down and added several teaspoons of honey to it. “As for the why part, I thought you’d like a place that reminds you of your home, a place to escape to when you needed to get away from the pressure of being a prince, responsibilities, and other things of that nature. Consider it an engagement present.”

It was all too much, ever since he’d arrived here Viktor had been accepted into the Winter Kingdom like one of their own without any questions asked, how he could have ever thought these people could be monsters. They had treated him with kindness not because he was a prince, but just because their first instinct was to be kind to others. A tear clung to his lashes for a moment before spilling onto his cheek only to be joined by others, and before long he was sobbing into the cloth napkin from the tea set.

“Do you not like it? I’m sorry if I crossed a line somewhere, I just wanted you to have a place like the lake is for me.” Yuuri looked terrified, his eyes wide and panicked as he glanced around as if trying to find something.

“No, that’s not it,” Viktor sniffed and dabbed at his streaming nose gently. “I’m so happy, nobody has even done something like this for me, and I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

“You were forced into an engagement with someone you’d forgotten meeting in a foreign country for the sake of politics, moved here and left your family and everything you loved behind, and yet you’re still kind to me and everyone else. You deserve to be happy Viktor, so I had no problem with fixing up the greenhouse so you could have a place to call your own, a little piece of Spring in the middle of endless Winter.” He took another sip of tea and stuck his tongue out. “It’s cold now.”

The Spring prince laughed, wiping his cheeks with the napkin and sitting up straighter in his chair. “What did I do to have you as a fiancé? I’m so lucky.”

“That part is politics, you’re just lucky to have ended up with me instead of that Autumn king, I hear he’s a jerk.”

“You mean King Leroy? I met him once and it was weird, all the compliments he made ended up circling back to him or the Autumn Kingdom and how much better they are. ‘These flowers are beautiful, almost as beautiful as the ones in my own garden.’”

It was Yuuri’s turn to laugh now, it matched what he’d heard about the king. “Phichit has to deal with him sometimes, he’s the Summer prince and their countries are close. I expect he’ll be coming to the wedding as a formality so we may be able to enjoy ourselves if that happens.”

“You seem friendly with the Summer prince, I didn’t realize you were close enough to not use formalities.” A small spike of ice stabbed his heart, as if the Winter prince’s magic had manifested in his chest.

“Huh? Oh Phichit and I have been friends since we were kids, I know it’s strange for Summer and Winter to get along since we’re opposites but he forced his way into my life and there was nothing I could really do about it. It is strange how different we are though, he’s so friendly and energetic and I have a hard time talking to people I don’t know very well, well unless I drink or something. He and I found that out the hard way.”

“Yuuri, are you a loud drunk? I expected you to be the type that starts crying when you drink.” Another stab, what was happening?

“Oh, last New Year’s he came over to celebrate with me and we had too much champagne, I don’t remember any of what happened but apparently I started dancing and making a fool of myself.” Yuuri’s cheeks were red now and it wasn’t likely that the heat of the greenhouse had caused it.

“You are a dancing drunk, that’s a surprise to say the least; apparently I get very affectionate when I drink, that’s what Chris says anyway.” If the ravenette was going to bring up his friendships with other guys there was no rule that said Viktor couldn’t do the same.

“Chris?” Yuuri’s voice was surprised, but it wasn’t as satisfying as he’d hoped it would be.

“My best friend back home, he said I spent half of one night after drinking draped over his shoulders like a scarf; apparently I was heavy because he shook me off and I spent the rest of the night delirious on the couch.” It had been a very fun night apart from that, the wine they’d drank had been delicious and they’d gossiped about trivial things in the Spring Kingdom until they passed out.

“Oh, that sounds funny, if I’m a dancing drunk then you’re a snake since it sounds like you wrap yourself around people.” He laughed, at least the Winter Prince didn’t seem hurt by the comment.

“I look forward to whenever we both get drunk together, it’s bound to be entertaining for whoever’s with us.” It was the truth and honestly he wished he didn’t have to be the one drinking so he could witness the spectacle.

Yuuri nodded and cleared his throat before glancing around the greenhouse and then back at Viktor. “I also thought this place would be good for magic practice, so you don’t grow any more trees in the courtyard. The other greenhouses have multiple mages that specialize in plant magic so it’d be easy to get their help once I teach you the basics of controlling your magic. Is that a good idea?” 

“Why will I need other mages help if I have you to teach me?”

“Well, because I have ice magic not plant magic, while they’re both magic that allows you to shape things from nothing helping flowers to bloom is different from gathering water from the air and solidifying it. The other mages can work on finesse while I help with control.” As if to demonstrate his skills a lily made of ice formed between Yuuri’s thumb and forefinger, he twirled it a few times before handing it to Viktor. While the ice flower was cold to the touch it didn’t start to melt in his clutched hand, as though it was made of glass rather than frozen water. 

“It’s beautiful, can I keep this?”

The Winter prince looked surprised at the request and shook his head. “It will most likely melt within the hour, I’m not strong enough to make one that stays solid forever; a few hours is my limit unlike the court mages.”

Viktor was about to reply when the greenhouse door banged open and a boy with tan skin and black hair burst in, his chest heaving under his thick coat. The stranger practically ran to Yuuri before grabbing his collar and shaking it furiously.

“Yuuri, why didn’t you tell me you were getting married? Why did I have to find out from your sister? I’m your best friend for goodness sake you need to tell me these things!”

“P-Phichit why are you here?” The Winter prince looked the most startled that Viktor had ever seen him, and he’d been shocked a lot.

“I’d like to know the answer to that as well.” If the Summer prince meant to cause trouble it was best to stop it before it could even start.

Phichit let go of Yuuri’s collar and turned to face the Spring prince before pointing a finger at him. “I have to make sure this stranger is good enough for my Yuuri of course! I can’t let you go and get married without my consent! Thank goodness your sister told me so I could come here!”

It was then that both Viktor and Yuuri realized that Mari’s obsession with messing with people was both powerful and terrifying. They’d need to talk to her if they survived this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy first day of Summer? At least that's what it is where I am, so it makes sense for Summer prince Phichit to barge in without warning.
> 
> Also, guess who totally forgot greenhouses were a thing until now. Hope the addition is good and makes sense, it felt like a good gift. Also hope I did a good job describing it since the only greenhouse I've been in recently was one that had been abandoned for decades, it was cool apart from the amount of broken glass on the ground.
> 
> Um, hate to keep using hope but apparently the Dangan Ronpa in me likes that word. Hope you liked the chapter as a whole, I don't deserve all the love this fic has gotten, and I'll do my best to keep writing now that I'm finally on new medication as of two days ago.
> 
> I made a tumblr so you guys have a different way to contact me if you want to. https://midnightcrowisabadname.tumblr.com


	8. The Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a new story and an update in the same day? And coincidentally at the same time as the first anniversary of Yuri on Ice?
> 
> I felt like it would be mean not to update after posting the first part of Of Stolen Glances and Faked Smiles so I ignored my costume which I need to finish in nine days and churned out the last bit of this chapter. It also happens to be the longest chapter but a lot happened in it so I hope it was worth the wait.
> 
> I'm really tired.
> 
> Trigger warning for a panic attack.

Prince Phichit of the Summer Kingdom was just as Yuuri remembered him being the last time they’d seen each other at New Year’s, he was easily entertained and laughed without much effort needed on anyone’s part. He was friendly and greeted everyone with a smile, even going so far as to hug members of the staff he remembered from previous visits; there was only one exception to his carefree attitude and it was obvious to everyone.

“What is his problem?” Viktor asked during one of his lessons with Yuuri where he finally succeeded in growing a rosebush at will. He clenched his hand into a fist and the blossoms and stems appeared to separate from the roots and began coiling with one another to form a ring, no a crown. He picked up the crown and placed it on his fiancé’s head with a grin, and there was no chance that the fingers that brushed his cheek in the movement were an “accident.”

Yuuri blushed and waived his own hand through the air, his fingers moving as though he were playing the piano, and a crown of began to form; the ice forming roses to match the creation Viktor had made. A crown of flowers and a crown of ice, Spring and Winter combined could truly make beautiful things. “Phichit has been my best friend for a long time, I’m sure he just wants what’s best for me; even if he doesn’t seem to understand I’m happy with the way things are right. Despite circumstances being what they are things could be a lot worse, trust me; I read a lot of stories on arranged marriages growing up.”

“Oh? Did they have happy endings?”

“Some did, some ended with the protagonist running away and marrying someone else.” The ravenette pushed his glasses farther up his nose, the heat of the greenhouse causing them to slide.

Viktor lifted one silver eyebrow skeptically. “Are you planning on taking advice from these books Yuuri?”

“You seem to be implying I’d be the protagonist in this story, but who would choose me when you’re here?”

“I’d choose you.”

Yuuri felt his cheeks grow warm as his gaze drifted to the rosebush rather than his fiancé. “You’re only saying that because you have to marry me.”

The Spring prince frowned slightly, a bit hurt at his accusation, but knew it was time to change the subject. “Do you think Phichit will accept me as your future husband?”

“If he doesn’t then he’ll be in trouble, even though I have more say in this matter than he does it’s still not my decision in the end.” The ravenette replied. “This is a political engagement and even though Phichit’s my best friend he’s not my type despite what I said about marrying him as a kid.” He sighed before pulling a pair of worn black gloves off a nearby table and pulled them on before smiling at Viktor. “Shall we call it a day? You’ve come a long way in such a short time but you must be tired; plus the engagement ball is tomorrow and we have to get ready for that.”

The air outside the greenhouse was freezing as always but with his fiancé by his side it was more bearable, their joined hands a tether in the storm of their lives.

-

Phichit bounced on Yuuri’s bed excitedly, he loved parties of any kind even if his best friend didn’t, and regardless of the Winter prince’s displeasure he would ensure they both looked their best. He’d invaded the huge wardrobe and brought clothes of his own just for this occasion and the results spoke for themselves, or he hoped they did.  
Yuuri squinted at his reflection in the full-length mirror, his glasses having been confiscated for the evening and his black hair was slicked back with some kind of oil that smelled of lavender. His outfit was very blue, Phichit claimed it would accentuate his skin and hair color but he thought it was a bit much to have three different shades of the same color. 

His crisp dress shirt, matching cravat, and socks were apparently, “cornflower blue;” his waistcoat and gloves were “Persian blue, and his knee-length coat and trousers were “navy blue.” Yuuri hadn’t really known there were so many names for one color and he didn’t especially care. The outfit was finished with black boots and a disgruntled expression, although that probably hadn’t been what his friend had expected.

“Why?” Was his only question.

“Because if people talk about this engagement ball thing I want them to remember how good you look and how I was the one to make you look that good.” The Summer prince smiled and spun in a circle, displaying his own outfit of gold and red in the traditional fashion of the Summer Kingdom: a long, robe-like shirt over loose pants and shoes that looked more like slippers. The thick silk of the fabric was heavily embroidered and beaded to look like phoenixes in flight, the symbol of his home, and his eyes were lined in kohl. “Are you sure you won’t let me put some makeup on you? I know it’s not customary but you’d look great!”

“I feel like I’ll attract enough attention as it is, I’ll pass thanks.” Yuuri fidgeted where he stood, tugging on the ends of his gloves nervously, he wished he had his glasses.

“Are you sure you don’t want to attract attention? I’m sure your fiancé will like it if he has any taste.” A hit of bitterness had worked its way into Phichit’s voice.

“Why don’t you like Viktor? He’s really nice to me and I’d rather be engaged to him than King Leroy.”

“I want to make sure he deserves someone as wonderful as you, even if this was an arranged marriage I will hunt him down if he has any ill intent towards my precious Yuuri,” he smiled evilly.

“Phichit, can you try to be nice to him? For me?”

The Summer prince puffed out his cheeks in a mock pout. “Fiiine.”

“Thank you.” Yuuri extended an arm to his friend. “Shall we be off?”

-

The ballroom was too crowded and too noisy, bodies so close together Yuuri had to squeeze past other guests as he tried to keep up with Phichit, the Summer prince wove in and out of the throng of people like he was dancing or not even there. Yuuri silently thanked his friend for his choice of outfit because it was only thanks to the bright reds and golds he wore that the prince could be seen at all. The ravenette hated the ball almost instantly, the sound of multiple conversations coming at him from all sides, the odor of too many perfumes mixing into a cloud of noxious gas, and the feeling of eyes on him as he tried to follow his friend was almost too much to handle. 

“Prince Yuuri,” The Winter prince spun around to face a man with a long, pale face and a graying goatee. “May I express my gratitude for being allowed here at your engagement ball, it is such an honor, nay a privilege.”

“Y-you are most welcome sir, it is my pleasure to have so many people here tonight,” The words came easily despite his nerves, the lessons on politeness and court behavior finally paying off. “If you will excuse me I have to find Prince Phichit.” He turned around but his friend had vanished into the crowd and he was by himself in a sea of strangers.

A bubble of panic formed in his head and he felt his breaths quicken, no, no he had to get away from here; the noise, the eyes, the bodies so close together... He ran, not caring how it looked, ran and practically dove under one of the tables lining the room, the long lace tablecloth preventing him from seeing the ball and the crowd of fake people who didn’t actually care about him. The air was stuffy and Yuuri curled in upon himself, his knees pressed against his chest as he struggled to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Why couldn’t he calm his heartbeat? He felt faint, his lungs weren’t working properly, his head was spinning and-

“Yuuri?” A familiar voice came to him in his dizziness but he couldn’t place either a face or a name to it in his panicked state. “Yuuri are you ok?” Then a crack of light split the darkness apart and Viktor knelt before him, silhouetted against the light from the room; his silver hair was tousled slightly and his cheeks were flushed, as though he’d been running.

“Viktor?” The Winter prince’s voice came out a rasp thanks to his hurried breaths, why couldn’t he breathe? 

Another voice came from next to his fiancé, this one belonging to his sister. “I told you he’d be somewhere around here, we need to get him somewhere quiet.”

“Can you stand Yuuri?” Viktor’s eyes were full of concern as he held one black-gloved hand out, and Yuuri grabbed it like it was a lifeline; part of him wanted to stand but his legs didn’t want to listen and he collapsed. Music and voices floated into his consciousness, several guests must have followed him after he’d fled.

“Is the prince alright?”

“Why did he run?”

“Who is that with Princess Mari?”

The ravenette might not have been able to see, but that didn’t mean his ears weren’t working; his cheeks burned from embarrassment and his vision blurred as hot tears threatened to spill onto his cheeks. Why did he have to be a prince? He wasn’t capable of dealing with this sort of attention, or attention of any kind. Why couldn’t he just be normal?

“Prince Yuuri has taken ill, he was feeling poorly this morning and only attended the ball tonight because of my insensitive request. I was wrong to ask this of him when he clearly was unwell, and if you will all excuse the two of us I must take my fiancé back to his chambers so he can get the rest he needs.” Viktor’s voice cut through the chatter, sounding harsher than Yuuri had ever heard it before, the only time it had come close was when he’d been confronted about his magic.

With a whispered “forgive me for this,” Yuuri was swept out from under the table and into the arms of the Spring prince, cradled like he were a child. Then without another word, Viktor simply left the room, Mari trailing behind him and trying to shoo away any lingering guests so they could be alone. 

“Turn left up ahead, there’s a passage that should lead to the servant’s quarters; we shouldn’t stray too far from the ball so we can return if Yuuri feels better.” The Winter princess struggled to keep up with Viktor’s long strides in her ball gown and she began panting, her lungs constricted by the corset she’d been forced into, but she didn’t stop until they’d found an empty room they could hide in. Only when the door was shut and locked behind them did any of them relax, Yuuri being placed gently on the bed by his fiancé before the man addressed the princess.

“What’s wrong with him? Is he actually sick?” Viktor’s normally composed face was flushed from exertion, his silver hair rumpled from having fingers run through it several times in panic. His outfit, a gray dress shirt with black pants over which a maroon vest embroidered with gold lay, was wrinkled from carrying a person and practically running through the halls, one of the buttons on his cuffs had actually broken off somewhere. He hardly looked like the royalty he was supposed to be, making Mari smile to herself before answering the question. 

“It’s a panic attack, Yuuri has anxiety and the stress of the engagement and the ball must have been too much for him to handle. I thought the lavender oil would help but I was wrong.” The princess bit her lip as she glanced around the room, looking for something that might help stop the attack.

“Yuuri, listen to me,” She approached the bed and placed a hand on her brother’s back. “Yuuri, name one thing you taste right now.”

“What are you-” Viktor started to ask but closed his mouth with a glare from Mari.

“One thing you taste, tell me.”

“I, I taste blood, I think I cut my lip.” Yuuri’s voice sounded weak and scared, but he was responding.

“Good, well cutting your lip isn't good but nevermind that, now name two things you smell, okay?” The princess’s voice was calm, although if you listened hard enough it was possible to detect a slight trembling.

“Sweat, sweat and lavender.”

“You’re doing great, next is three things you hear, can you do that?”

The ravenette’s voice was stronger now. “I hear your voice, I hear Viktor breathing, and I can hear a clock ticking.”

“Almost done, four things you can feel.”

“I feel my shirt against my skin, the bed beneath me, and your hand...” he trailed off, thinking. “I feel my cheeks are warm.”

“Last one Yuuri and I’ll need you to look up for this, okay? Name five things you see and you’re done.”

The prince lifted his head, his face red and his eyes watery, but he squinted around the room as his breathing calmed. “I see the two of you, and I think that’s a chair in the corner, a dresser, and a lamp.” He straightened up, swinging his legs off the bed as he stared at his hands in his lap. “I messed up again.”

Mari opened her mouth to speak but Viktor beat her to it. “You didn’t mess anything up, we forced you into a situation you were uncomfortable with and we have no right to judge you for reacting like you did.” He sat down next to Yuuri, the bed creaking slightly from the added weight, and held his fiancé’s hand gently.

“I couldn’t have said so better myself!” A voice sounded from behind the door and Mari practically threw it open to glare at the Summer prince. 

“Phichit! Where were you? How could you leave Yuuri by himself like that?”

“Was this some kind of test?” Viktor’s voice was steely as he glared into the black eyes of the smiling prince. 

“I didn’t intend to lose Yuuri in the crowd I assure you, I turned around and he was gone, poof!” He frowned slightly, placing his hands behind his head. “I’ll admit I was surprised by what Prince Viktor did, saving the damsel, or, um, Yuuri, in distress like a brave knight from a fairytale. It was kind of impressive, although I don’t think many guests know who Prince Viktor was, he hasn’t been formally introduced yet; they may think Yuuri was kidnapped if you don’t come back.”

“They think I...” The Spring prince ran a hand through his hair once more, standing up from the bed and pacing slowly. He turned to face his fiancé, brow creased with worry. “Yuuri, do you think you can handle the ball for a little longer if I swear not to leave your side?”

The Winter prince frowned, clearly not liking the idea but not having a better one. “Alright.”

-

“Valued guests, it is an honor to be here today with all of you. I am Viktor, second prince of the Spring Kingdom, and although I have only been in the Winter Kingdom for a few weeks it is already starting to feel like home.” Viktor kept one hand firmly upon Yuuri’s as he smiled to the gaggle of nobles who pretended to care about what he had to say. The engagement was political and unchanging unless one of the kings changed their mind, but it was important to play the role people expected of him, the charismatic prince dazzled by new sights. “I am delighted to be engaged to your wonderful Prince Yuuri, who has recovered from earlier and agreed to come back with me so we could make our engagement official in the eyes of the public.”

A slight squeeze on his hand, a silent plea to finish talking so they could leave, Viktor squeezed back to show he understood. “I look forward to seeing you all once more for the wedding, but I’ll admit I am a bit fatigued myself, I haven’t gotten used to the time difference here yet. I do hope you’ll forgive my rudeness if my fiancé and I take our leave for the evening.” Without waiting to hear any objection, the two princes swept from the room, Mari and Phichit following close behind as they bid farewell to the gathered guests.

“Did I do okay?” Viktor panted as they increased their pace, putting as much distance between the ball and themselves as possible.

“You were perfect, thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Mari does with Yuuri is a technique called grounding, it forces the person having a panic attack to focus on their surroundings instead of whatever is causing the attack by involving each of the senses. I remembered reading about it a while ago and thought it best to use an actual technique as opposed to deep breathing, which does work sometimes but not always. Also the scent of lavender is supposed to help with anxiety but since the oil was just in his hair it didn't do much good.
> 
> Phichit is hard to write but I hope I'm doing him justice, don't be mad at him for losing Yuuri in the crowd, that weirdo caused him to stop moving and they got separated.
> 
> And lastly I totally did look up different shades of blue for the hell of it.
> 
> I work at six in the morning again tomorrow! Yaaaay barista life. Hope the chapter met your expectations and check out Of Stolen Glances and Faked Smiles. My tumblr is midnightcrowisabadname.tumblr.com if you want to bother me.


	9. New Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoooooping to write something else for Yuuri's birthday but I'm having trouble coming up with oneshot ideas so if I fail to do that at least there's something posted today.  
> It's shorter than I would have liked but I still have no concrete plot laid out for this story unlike Of Stolen Glances and Faked Smiles, or OSGAFS. Say that out loud, is fun.

"As you can see, if we were to begin negotiations with the Autumn Kingdom we might be able to expand our trade agreement and get more goods from them." The man speaking droned on and on about trade and helping the Winter Kingdom get more resources to improve their overall situation and Viktor felt his eyes start to close. He knew that as a prince in a foreign country he had to be here, because it was important he knew about economics and politics even if he never ruled. He was just so tired though and it was so boring to listen to someone go on and on about dull topics like economics and embargos.

When was this meeting over? He wanted to go back to his room and lie down but leaving early would be frowned upon, then again falling asleep in the middle of it would also look bad. Viktor sat straighter in his chair next to the Winter Prince to avoid sleeping and dug a piece of paper and charcoal out of his pocket.

"I have no idea what they're talking about." He scrawled before folding up the note and tossing it into his fiancé’s lap along with the writing utensil.

Yuuri’s eyes had started to glaze over as well, and upon having paper unexpectedly land on him jumped slightly before unfolding the message and grinning slightly, writing a response and returning it to Viktor.

"I'm only half-paying attention to be honest."

-

"Ahh, that was so boring!" The silver-haired Prince stretched as he and his fiancé walked away from the council room. "I didn't understand what any of them were talking about and it took so much effort to stay awake."

"I understood most of it, it's just a dull topic and Sir Stenson didn't make it any less tiresome to listen to. It's true that being a small Kingdom on an island already limits our resources, but adding in the never-ending winter makes it near impossible for plants to grow and some animals to survive. We're lucky to have the mines otherwise trade would be nearly impossible, we don't have much other people want."

Viktor stated at his fiancé in bemusement, a half-formed smile on his lips. "I'm sorry, what?"

Yuuri sighed. "Did you go to meetings like this back in the Spring Kingdom at all? You know, political alliances, negotiations, and trade agreements that you had to attend?"

"I wasn't required to go to them since my brother's the heir and the council members preferred I didn't go so they wouldn't get interrupted to explain things. I also ran away from my tutors to play in the woods and didn't pay attention to most of the lessons I did attend unless they were interesting."

"Please forgive me for saying this but I'm somewhat glad you won't be ruling a Kingdom after hearing you say that."

Viktor gasped. "I don't think I will forgive you for that even if we are engaged.”

Another laugh and the Spring prince adored how those brown eyes would crinkle up with amusement. “This is going to be a very awkward marriage then.”

“Can we even get married like this? You have hurt me so much I’m not sure I can go through with it.”

Yuuri’s face fell, the happiness that had been there mere moments before was replaced with worry, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he seemingly struggled for words. “It’s okay, I expect our engagement will be annulled any day now...”

Time seemed to stop then, silence filling the hallway and neither prince moving out of shock or fear.

“Why would that happen? This was supposed to unite our Kingdoms and-”

“My father is dying Viktor, and the Winter Kingdom has been dying too, it has been ever since that failed rebellion. We’ve always been the smallest of the Seasonal Court, but you heard what I just said; nothing grows here, our only resources come from the mines and those have almost dried up. Soon this whole island will be completely dependent on others just to survive; it would be easy for someone else to take us over to get their hands on the mages that live here, especially with the king gone. I expect that was the plan all along, his illness is too convenient for it to be anything other than foul play, no matter what people tell me.”

“What are you saying Yuuri?”

“It would probably be best if you returned home before you get caught up in our mess, once your father learns about this you’ll have to leave anyway. I won’t be a prince for much longer, because soon there will be no kingdom to rule over any more.” 

“Why bring me here in the first place? Why did we have an arrangement like this at all if you knew it was destined to fail?”

“I hoped my father would get better, he’s a good King and people respect him. Mari will be a good queen, but she’s too young to be prepared to take over for him right now, especially if I’m right and this wasn’t an accident. If war breaks out we won’t be able to put up much of a fight, our only option is to tie up loose ends before it’s too late.”

They had finally reached the Winter prince’s rooms but neither man went inside, they stood awkwardly before the door and Viktor struggled to find something to say that would make the situation better.

“What if I don’t want to go?” Yuuri’s brown eyes met his and the sadness and confusion there was evident, as though he were on the edge of breaking down.

“Viktor...” His lower lip trembled as one hand rested on the doorknob but didn’t turn it. “You told me you love your home, and I’m sure that this land of ice must seem like a poor replacement for the gardens and forests you left behind.”

“You’re not there.”

Yuuri looked small and fragile as he entered his room, shoulders hunched as though he wanted to curl into a ball and hide. “I don’t belong in a place like that, a place so full of light and warmth... You said they fear magic there, so how would someone like me, someone who is so connected with magical energy possibly be accepted there?” The door closed and it felt like the wall that separated them was made of more than stone.

-

Viktor didn’t know where to go, what to do in order to make things right; hell he didn’t even know what he was feeling. Should he be happy that he wasn’t getting married after all? Eager to leave this land of endless winter and return to the comfort of his forest?

Wham! The Spring prince had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going and had walked straight into a woman and the two of them fell to the ground.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” He extended a hand out to her and as she rose he took in her long brown hair styled so her bangs were out of her gray eyes, her slender body that had to be all muscle from how much banging into her had hurt. She wore a navy tunic and trousers, surprising for someone who had the aura of nobility, and below one eye was a small beauty mark.

“We both should have been more careful, but it seems that neither of us were injured so we should be thankful as well.”

“I apologize, I was thinking about something and wasn’t watching where I was going.” Viktor felt his hands clench into fists, his nails biting into his palms.

“Were you thinking about Yuuri?” Her use of the Winter prince’s name without title or formality was unusual, as was her ability to tell what was on his mind; he wondered if she could read minds as she answered her own question. “I thought that might be the case. Tell me, what has my troublesome student done now?”

“Student?” He wasn’t aware that the black-haired prince had a tutor.

“I’m Lady Minako Okukawa, Yuuri’s dance instructor.” The woman swept into a flawless curtsy and smiled at him. “If you need to talk about him I have a few hours until my next lesson, would you like some tea?”

Somehow Viktor ended up in a sitting room a few minutes later, although he didn’t remember just how he’d gotten here, he’d been to focused on his thoughts again. The brown-haired woman was talking with a maid in the doorway, no doubt requesting tea be brought up for the two of them, so he took the time to examine his surroundings. He was sitting on a plush couch made of dark wood upon which white cushions sat, the fabric embroidered with swirls of silver and blue and pleasant to the touch; another couch faced him and a small table of the same wood lay between them. The stone walls held no decorations but several bookshelves were along one of them, their shelves full of novels in multiple languages. A stone fireplace sat in the center of one wall, the flames inside the grate crackling and popping in the otherwise silent room until Minako took a seat across from him.

“What’s troubling you?” She asked, her dark eyes wide with concern.

“Yuuri said that the engagement would be annulled soon.”

“Ah, so he told you. I’m somewhat surprised you’re not happy about the possibility of returning home again.”

Viktor sighed and slouched in his seat. “He saidthe same thing, but it feels wrong to leave after all you’ve done for me since I’ve arrived, especially if things are really so desperate here. I’ve been welcomed by the citizens, had a party for this supposed engagement, hell even the engagement itself seemed to be more for the Spring Kingdom than anything. Spring people are so convinced of magicians being evil that an alliance with Winter, even if the Winter Kingdom itself isn’t in any position to pose an actual threat, would pacify them.” A lump formed in the prince’s throat. 

“Would it be possible to keep things the way they are for now, if I marry Yuuri then it would be easier to prove your people don’t mean anyone harm. We could show everyone how beautiful magic is and make it possible for the citizens of the Winter Kingdom to move here if the land truly becomes uninhabitable.”

Minako smiled at Viktor. “It’s sweet that you care so much, but I think once your parents realize how dire things are here they’d break off the engagement anyway. There’s no point in a political alliance with a doomed Kingdom after all.”

The Spring prince looked like he wanted to say something but he was interrupted before he had the chance to say anything. “I’m saying that the arranged marriage, you marrying Yuuri purely for political reasons, won’t happen. On the other hand, if you somehow manage to win over that boy’s heart and he wants to marry you out of love, that’s still an option; although you two haven’t been on a single date yet so if there’s a chance you’ll have to leave I’d get a move on.”

“We have- He and I-” Viktor tried to protest but it was somehow true. He and Yuuri had spent time together, they’d gone to town and practiced in the greenhouse, but they had never been on an actual date before. The more he thought about it the more ridiculous it sounded, this was a man he was supposed to marry and yet they hadn’t done much more than hold hands with each other. If there was nothing forcing the two of them into a relationship would he still be interested in one?

Yes. Even if they were just friends now he wanted to be with the black-haired prince, and if somehow they remained engaged it was probably best to become closer with him. Thinking back on those sad brown eyes and the words Yuuri had said, “I don’t belong there. How could I possibly be accepted?” Viktor wanted to change that, he wanted his home to be a place where everyone felt welcome; and he knew the first step he’d have to take in order to make such a dream possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like drama is my new best friend and I think my dog is jealous because she's being more affectionate than usual.
> 
> I tried to answer some questions people might have in the chapter itself, questions like "why would you have an arranged marriage only to cancel it? Wasn't that the whole freaking plot of this story?" The answer is it's been a year and I forget what I originally had planned for this, hence why I got a notebook and wrote stuff down for OSGAFS so I knew what I was doing. Also started taking adhd meds again, which is the only reason I'm able to write consistently and make my self-imposed deadline while managing work, cosplay, etc. 
> 
> My brain doesn't like me.
> 
> Anywhoooo, chapter. It's done. There will be a date and Viktor will try to court Yuuri like in ye olde days.
> 
> Give me prompts or yell at me for the latest chapter of OSGAFS at my [Tumblr](https://midnightcrowisabadname.tumblr.com/) since I am a lonely crow.


End file.
